Euro U21 2019: England throw away lead three times in draw with Croatia

Goals from Reiss Nelson, James Maddison and Jonjoe Kenny should have been enough for an overdue win, but defensive frailties again surfaced as they finished Group C with a solitary point from three games.

Croatia dug in to earn their only point of the tournament, with a Nikola Vlasic strike sandwiched between a brace from Josip Brekalo at 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2.

England snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their opening game against France last week, valiantly battling with 10 men before conceding in the 89th and 95th minutes as Phil Foden’s sensational solo goal was cancelled out.

That left them needing to beat Romania to have any hope of qualifying but they lost 4-2 – despite equalising twice in the final 15 minutes.